Coming early November, The Substance (Vietnamese title: Divine Medicine), a hot movie that has been buzzing on social networks recently, will officially hit the Vietnamese box office, promising to blow a “chilling” breeze to the audience this Halloween. Since its release, the film has quickly become a cinematic phenomenon thanks to its exploitation of the theme of body horror, in the context of the supernatural-psychological horror genre gradually declining in Hollywood.
The Substance follows Elizabeth Sparkle (Demi Moore), a washed-up star who is struggling to hold on to some of the gold in her life. Her peak period was over, her career was in decline, Elizabeth was forced to change her career to become a fitness trainer on television. At the age of U55, her physical appearance is still above that of her peers, however, that is still not enough. In order to avoid being fired, she found a serum hidden on the black market that has the ability to “rejuvenate” in one fell swoop.
This “miracle drug” will help the mother's body (current Elizabeth) produce the child's body – Sue (Margaret Qualley), Elizabeth in her youth with a 10-point beautiful appearance. The condition is that two bodies cannot live at the same time but must take turns “breathing air.” From here, a series of blood-stained, devilish events began to happen, pushing Elizabeth into a situation where she was forced to “follow the knife”.
As soon as it was premiered at the 2024 Cannes Film Festival, the horror masterpiece received a huge response from the audience and a 13-minute round of applause. Notably, the film also won the grand prize for Best Screenplay. Many writers endlessly praised the content, which uniquely penetrates people's ego and desires. The film's color is a bit of a cinematic purple-pink color, while exuding the nostalgia of a golden age of Hollywood.
Demi Moore's acting is beyond discussion. With more than 40 years in the profession, the American “actress” has delivered an extremely convincing performance, nakedly portraying the deadlock of a late-life woman left behind by the spotlight. At the age of U65, fans cannot help but admire and envy the actress's ability to control herself.
Margaret Qualley is no less competitive when it comes to a beautiful, confident, even somewhat arrogant ego. Grasping the advantage of the character's appearance, the rising young star successfully recreated the harsh and bitter contrast between the two generations.
On the film review site Rotten Tomatoes, The Substance received a score of 8.4/10, an extremely impressive number for a horror movie, especially the body horror subgenre that is often not highly appreciated. On Metacritic, the film reached 83/100 points.
One internet user shared: The Substance beautifully grotesque, demonstrating the production team's bold artistic vision. The cast acted relatively well, portraying an industry that is always hunting for 'other fresh meat'. Another opinion said: ” The Substance is a bloody masterpiece about the invisible pressures we face in society, which is obsessed with youth, beauty and recognition. The body-swapping divisions are the highlight of the movie even though they are truly disgusting and horrifying. I strongly advise you not to watch while eating.”